Writing for Publications
I’ve blogged on Trade Secrets about finding the right media outlets for your company’s press releases. It’s no secret that the trade press offers tremendous value by allowing you to precisely target your message to an audience and establish yourself as a subject matter expert and thought leader.
Odds are, there are multiple publications to which your company can submit press releases and story ideas. These may be trade publications specific to your niche or more general business or management publications, as well as websites. One thing is certain—every one of them has a specific set of rules or editorial requirements that spell out what kinds of writing they’ll accept, story lengths, deadlines and other important details. And unless the publication or website is new, they’ll have a history of stories they’ve already run, contained in their previous issues or archives.
A sure way to turn off an editor and sink any hopes of getting your story into their publication is to not do your homework. Offering to write an opinion piece on trends in LED light bulbs for home applications will not fly in a publication that prints only hard news on commercial and industrial lighting—especially since they devoted an entire issue to LED lighting back in June.
First, download a copy of the publication’s editorial guidelines from its website—and if you don’t see them there, call. Read them carefully and make sure you understand what types of writing the publication accepts. Then, study the publication’s archives and editorial calendars. Find out what topics they’ve covered and how recently as well as what interests them for the future. With a little time and patience, you can identify several publications that will be very interested in what you have to say, and you may even pick up a few new ideas yourself.
Trade Press Services excels at matching compelling, timely, innovative story ideas for businesses with the highly targeted content trade publications seek. To get started, just call Trade Press Services today.
Using Editorial Calendars to your Advantage
Most public relations or marketing professionals have been in the unfortunate position of trying to submit an article or press release to a publication after its deadline, only to have the editor laugh them out of their office. It’s because putting together a publication is hard work. (If it weren’t, anybody could do it, right?) Magazines, trade publications and newsletters take time, effort and planning. They’re typically put together several weeks to a few months in advance. Your last-minute request to insert an article is kind of like an astronaut needing a potty break as the clock counts down to zero: way too late.
However, smart marketers can use this situation to their advantage. Magazines put together what’s called an editorial calendar, 
generally on an annual basis. The calendar specifies the type of content that will go in each issue of the publication. For example, pieces on fighting the winter blahs in January, gardening tips in May and autumn crafts in October.
Why publish this information? First, it allows advertisers to see the content topics in advance so that they can plan their ad buys (boat companies may place ads in the June boating special issue, for example). Also, it allows the publication’s editors to assign stories to reporters in advance. This is where you come in: you can craft your press releases or article pitches to the editor to tie in with the content for specific months.
September’s theme is fall getaways? Pitch a piece on how your travel company has packaged affordable weekend trips for recession-weary consumers. April’s theme is personal finance? How about a piece on your wealth management company’s most overlooked deductions for taxpayers?
You get the point. By crafting a pitch that ties in to what the publication is doing, you not only give your story idea a better chance of making it to print, but you build a bond with an editor who may be looking for new, fresh ideas. You’re helping them be successful!
Editorial calendars are commonly found linked in the small print on publication websites. Barring that, feel free to contact the publication to ask for a copy. If the publication doesn’t have a formal editorial calendar, ask the editor what topics he/she is most interested in. In most cases, they’ll be happy to share the information with you. Or, just contact us at Trade Press Services. We specialize in making editorial contacts and crafting bylined stories for all types of companies and publications.